No More Red Heads!
by Sailorjj07
Summary: Now that Ezio has the role of Master Assassin, it's his job to provide the Brotherhood with an heir, right? Well, Ezio doesn't think so. He wants to continue to chase around his beloved red heads, but his mother will have none of that. Instead, she finds three girls that would make the perfect bride for her wild son. Which one will he choose, if any? Read and review! Ezio/OC


No More Redheads!

By: Sailorjj07

1. My Mother's Doing

A/n: Hey yall! I absolutely adore Ezio so I thought it would be awesome to write a fanfiction about him! Since this is my first AC fanfic, have pity on my poor soul and judge me nicely. This story is set between AC 2and AC: Brotherhood for the most part, but since I'm putting Ezio in his early 30s, I guess it's better to say that this is before the end of AC2 with snippets from Brotherhood, if that makes any sense. Or maybe this would be an AU? But not really, because it's still in the same realm as the video games...I don't know! If you don't get the setting, PM me and I'll attempt to explain myself. Either way, flames will be used to roast marshmallows and other various tasty treats (yum, roasted potatoes!). Thanks for checking out my fic guys!

BTW, I'm trying something new for my newer fics...A summary! That way if I don't update for a while the chapter summary will help keep you going. Since this is the first chappy, there will be an over-all story summary, but after that, it'll be a RECAP OF THE CHAPTER BEFORE. I know a lot of people are going to read "Chapter Summary" and go, why the hell should I keep reading? I guess I should call it a chapter recap then.

Story Summary: Ezio Auditore has officially become a Master Assassin. With new duties falling to him every single day, there's no way Ezio has time for a real relationship. But his mother plans to change that ASAP. After all, a Master Assassin must always have an heir.

Disclaimer: I do not own!

"Talking"

_'Thinking'_

**Actions**

(Me!)

This entire charade was my mother's idea. It pains me now to say it, but I had absolutely no intention whatsoever of getting married or siring children anytime in the near future. And, truly, who would have? What I do for a living is dangerous; my family has been harmed, kidnapped and forced to kill those that would get in the way of our ideals. Why would I ever wish that on my wife? Or even worse, my children?

It was completely against my will that my mother recruited three girls for the task. She found these three, each very different from the next, and made them candidates for this ridiculous trial. Of these three women, I was to choose one to be my bride; only one, to have and to hold until we each drew our last breath. It was bothersome at first, attempting to get to know each girl for who she was and where she came from, but as time went on, I fell deeply in love with my bride. Or so I thought.

This is our story: of love, of absolute idiocy and betrayal. Never in my life had I faced a challenge so great and to this day, I am rewarded for my hard work. And truly, it was hard work.

The day began as any other. I had woken up in the arms of my latest tryst, a lovely, very well endowed red-headed, whose sultry voice set my loins to singing. The vivacious maid was just that, a maid of some rich noble that I had managed to snare with my usual charm. I was a man of the ladies, after all.

The soft moan of her delicate voice reminded me of the other noises that had been uttered from her lovely mouth only hours before. As the sun began to pour its bright rays over the horizon, I began to dress, back into my clothes from the night before, much to the chagrin of my delicious mistress (for that night, of course).

The delightful thing stirred in her sleep, slowly reaching out for the spot I had just occupied. When she realized I wasn't there, her bright eyes flew open and she turned in my direction, pouting, "Oh, must you leave so quickly?"

"I have business to attend to, unfortunately. Leaving your warm embrace is hard for me too, _mio caro_."

"Will I see you again?" The pout on her lovely face deepened, and I touched her face gently, a sensual smile on my face.

"I will come to knock at your window once again, of that I am sure."

The maid had the good graces to blush while I tied my cape around my neck. I opened her window and perched on the sill, my smile still there, "Until we meet again."

The girl nodded and I was up on the rooftop, bounding my way across Roma to my mother's home. I knew that by the time I arrived, she would be awake and preparing for the day, but I sorely wanted to bathe and make myself presentable before I went anywhere else. I slid through the window to my bedroom at my mother's house, just as the door opened and my mother came in, a fierce look upon her face.

"Ezio Auditore, you will stop this at once! Just how many girls do you plan to ruin before you are done?"

"Mother, I am young. It is what men do."

"Will you marry the girl you have soiled this time?"

I chuckled at my mother as I nodded at a servant in the corner, "Will you prepare a bath for me?" The serving girl was off in an instant, and I turned back to my fuming mother, "_Madre, _you will learn that a man will sow his oats when he is ready. Why do you insist on my marrying so soon?"

"You are already 30! It is time you marry and have children of your own! Do you not wish for me to be a grandmother?" My mother gazed at me evenly, but I could tell she was simply laying on the guilt. I was not an _idiota_.

"Mama, it will happen when I am ready, will it not? Don't you wish for me to marry happily?"

"If I wait around for you, you will be happy staying single! Those red-haired girls you're always chasing will never be the type of girl you marry," My mother huffed and turned her back to me, as I removed the shirt over my head. "You have two hours before our guests arrive. Be sure that you honor your father's memory by coming down presentably?"

I smiled warmly and kissed my mother's cheek as another knock sounded on my door. My mother opened the door and strode out, while the men with the tub shuffled to move out of her way.

Oh how I loved winning "discussions" with my mother.

**Two Hours Later**

As I said earlier, none of us were truly ready for the events that would occur after that day. I was not at all prepared for the "guests" that my mother had invited into our home; I was never told who they were. But I knew something was up when my sister erupted into giggles at my appearance.

"Something amuses you?" I asked her, as a frown crossed my face.

Claudia giggled once again, much to my disdain, "Dear brother, you'd best prepare your mind for what mother has set out for you."

The puzzled look must have covered my face utterly, because my sister's musical laughter filled the hall, as I tried to understand the meaning of her words. "What has she prepared for me?"

"She did not tell you? Oh my. Mama has outdone herself this time." Claudia placed her hand on my shoulder, and squeezed it in sympathy, "To the gallows then, Ezio?"

Before I had a chance to answer, Claudia opened the door to our sitting room and there sat my mother, with three girls. My sister tried to suppress her giggles, her eyes almost taunting me in her amusement.

"And here he is. My, the Devil does show up when you speak of him." My mother's voice was one of amusement as well, but when she stood up her eyes were suspiciously mischievous.

In that very moment, I feared my life as if she held a blade to my throat.

Claudia led me to the arm chair in the room, and I deposited myself slowly, examining the faces of the young women in our home. None were alike in size, shape or features. The first, and probably youngest, looked as fair as an angel. Her blonde hair graced her shoulders in glorious wasps of golden color. Her bright blue eyes examined me almost instantly, and more than once, she caught my gaze in my examination. She was shapely and had a beautiful face, with rosy pink and pouty lips. She was dressed in fine clothes, which meant she was probably some noble's daughter and the way she sat with her chin poised meant this girl had high class upbringing.

The lady beside her didn't even glance in my direction, though. Instead, she was looking down at the book in her hands and ignoring almost everyone in the room. Her black hair was lovely and long, but was braided in tight plaits that kept her locks in place. I felt my finger twitch in an odd urge to undo the braids, but of course resisted it. Her beautiful eyes gleamed like silver as she scanned the page; reading at a rate that I presumed was probably faster than me. Truly, the color surprised me, as it was rare to see grey eyes on any person but it was hard to see any of her other traits. The dress she wore was plain, barely accenting her frame at all. It was hard to tell what sort of shape she had, if any.

The third girl on the couch was tall, taller than me and had visibly strong arms. Her brown hair was plain and so were her brown eyes, but both were so warm and welcoming; they were filled with life. She was dressed in practical clothes, definitely attire that shouldn't be worn to meet a possible suitor. She had the warmest, cheery smile on her face as she chatted away with my mother. She spoke pridefully to my mother about something or another and turned to look directly at me, "Look who's decided to join us finally!"

My mother colored a bit, as did I, before I cleared my throat, "You have my sincerest apologies, ladies. Had I known my mother was inviting beautiful women to our home, I would have taken half the time to prepare."

The girl in the center had finally put her book away and had the graces to blush at my words, while the tall lady smiled satisfactory and the goddess on the end of the couch met my gaze with a delicate lift of her eyebrow. Apparently, she wasn't fazed at all by being called lovely.

"Ezio, these girls are the candidates that we have chosen to be your brides."

My sister covered her mouth to fight her onslaught of giggles at the incredulous look upon my face. Surely, she was joking. My brain went into overtime as I pondered on what I should say. I schooled my features into a curious look, but in my heart I was absolutely furious.

"And who, dear mother, is we?"

"Why, the Brotherhood, of course. I am not the only one that worries about your marital status, as you should know. Leonardo has mentioned it many times since you became Master."

I made a mental note to ring the genius' neck. How dare the Brotherhood speak of me in such a way! I was the leader, for goodness sake! But this also brought another thought to my mind and I turned my gaze back towards the three women, "So...You ladies are a part of the Brotherhood? How is it that I have never seen any of you before?"

The blond goddess spoke first, popping open a fan I hadn't known she held, "You see, _signore, _we assist your operation from the sidelines. Our fathers, or lack thereof -" at this moment she glanced at the girl beside her, whose beautiful eyes narrowed significantly in a glare, "Help you by donating our goods to the cause. My father is a banker in your network." At this introduction, the girl stood up, curtsying beautifully in her lovely dress, "I am Angioletta Rossi. My father is Franco Rossi. My family runs and maintains your largest bank."

I wasn't at all surprised by her admission, since her entire manner suggest the very truth, "Ah. A pleasure, _signora_."

Angioletta nodded and sat down, having said her fill. The girl beside her had fixed her glare upon Angioletta, but once she realized that she too, was supposed to speak, she quickly stood up. Her curtsy was refined, even more so than the girl before her, and I found myself beginning to wonder what this woman's profession was. As she stood up and turned her beautiful grey eyes upon me, my eyes began to feed hungrily on her visage.

"I am a botanist, _signore_...or would you call it a medicine woman?" The girl pondered on her title for a moment before shaking her head and returning to the introduction, "My name is Gisella Moretti."

"What is it that you do exactly, Gisella?" I wondered again, for the second time in mere moments. She had an air of intelligence about her, but also something else I couldn't quite place my finger on.

"I make the poisons used by you and your brothers. The darts, the gases...these things are made in my home. I also make the antidotes for them as well, though they aren't purchased as often."

The lady was deadly with such a lovely face. I suddenly held her in a higher esteem.

"How did you get into such an...Interesting career?"

"My mother was an herbalist and my father was a doctor. It was bound to occur, I suppose."

I nodded, trying to understand my opinion on this girl. On the one hand, she had a lovely face with beautiful eyes to match. On the other, she seemed a tad absent-minded, yet...she was refined enough to curtsy better than a girl that was raised by a banker... The intrigue was temptation on my senses. I turned my gaze to the final girl as Gisella took her seat and now she stood. I realized that indeed, the girl was taller than I was, and strong built. I was sure that I may lose in a fight against such a woman.

Her face was open and warm; I could read her like a book, it was just that easy.

"I am Ines De Luca, Master Assassin. My father is Pietro De Luca; he owns the largest farms on the edge of Roma. We supply the Brotherhood with food and horses, straw and wood...My father has his hands in almost anything agricultural."

"You are Pietro's daughter? He speaks of you as if you were still a young girl!" I was surprised to hear of this. Pietro did have 10 children, though, so perhaps he was speaking of one of his other daughters.

"Oh, he must have spoken to you have my younger sister. I am the oldest daughter of the De Luca family. My older brother has ventured off into the country to help establish a farm out there. I stayed at home, to help take care of the farm and my younger brothers and sisters."

"I was wondering why the smell of outside lingered so severely in the room," Angioletta murmured as if we wouldn't hear her words. Gisella and my sister, Claudia went red in the face and both opened their mouths to speak when my mother stood up.

"I believe it is time for some refreshment, yes? I'll go fetch a servant." My mother stood and removed herself gracefully, while Ines sat down and stared sullenly at the ground. Gisella touched the girl's arm gently, and gave her comforting looks, though she said no words.

"Master Ezio, how do you take your refreshment?"

I was stuck. I truly wanted to reprimand the girl for saying those cruel words to such a kind person. I knew from just speaking with Ines that the hearty girl wouldn't hurt a hair on a fly's head. But the golden goddess placed her sultry gaze on me, and try as I might, it was hard to resist.

"Oh simply, I suppose. I love olives and mozzarella."

Angioletta nodded in my direction, waving the fan seductively in front of her face, "I will be sure to remember that then, when you pay a visit to my residence."

At the confused look on my face, my sister stood up from her seat in the corner and sat on the love seat my mother had occupied moments before, "Mother has decided that you will meet all three girls in their owns, on different days, to better understand their personalities...and to court them, of course."

Again, I sealed my mouth shut. This plan was getting more and more ridiculous by the minute.

"You will begin on Sunday and rotate between the three homes each day. After that, you will make your decision or you can continue the rotations until you have decided."

"So I will have to visit one of the three every single day?"

"Of course not, silly brother. But when you have spare time, Mother and the Brotherhood will ensure that you hold to your end of the bargain."

"And after that?"

"Well, if you do not find any of these three ladies suitable, Mother will introduce you to another three until we figure something out."

I sighed. What my sister meant to say was that this terrible parade would not end until I was married off. How in the hell was I supposed to court three women at once? Not that I couldn't do it, but a man has a hard enough time courting one woman, and I was supposed to court three? At once?

I turned my gaze on all three of the girls, watching as each of them gazed back at me. My mother stepped into the room with a serving girl behind her, and everyone turned to the two instead, gratefully accepting the food and drinks. I couldn't help but smile ruefully as I slowly came the realization that my mother was absolutely serious about getting me wed as soon as possible.

Why else would she have picked three ladies, none of which were red-haired? The words had come from her very own mouth that those girls were not the type for marriage. So instead, she gave me every hair color but the one that I always followed.

Perhaps I hadn't won that discussion after all.

End Chapter 1


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